“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.”
Proverbs 12:26
Righteousness is only achieved by making God’s pleasure the motivation for one’s morality. For a soul to be righteous, one must ignore, reject and forsake man’s wicked ways. This requires placing God’s acceptance over man’s acceptance. This also requires placing the fear of God over the fear of man.
When a person does this, he will spiritually excel above his neighbours. The righteous do not temper their spiritual ambition because their neighbours may be unhappy or unsupportive. They would rather give up human companionship than give up divine companionship, for they know that God’s companionship comforts the social loneliness that accompanies spiritual excellence.
The wicked, however, are far more concerned with social acceptance in the neighbourhood than they are with moral acceptance in the heavens. The wicked hate being alone and isolated. They desperately want others to participate in their lifestyle and in their immoral activities.
While the righteous look up, the wicked look around. While the righteous are primarily concerned with what God thinks, the wicked are primarily concerned with what others think. While the righteous are focused on making their ways straight before God, the wicked are focused on making the ways of their neighbours crooked just like theirs.
“Who is your focus in life – yourself, others or God?”
Charge: The world may offer temporary pleasure, but it is only seduction to destruction.
Further Study: Psalm 16:3, James 4:4
Stay righteous.
